This has been my
first experience with being a blogger as opposed to a blog reader. I love to
read other people’s blogs and I love to write, so it is only a natural
progression that I kind of love blogging. I found it to be very easy and I
liked how it allowed a creative outlet for me. I was excited to look for new
ideas and to get to present them for my audience. I looked for topics that were
a little off the beaten path with different weather phenomena. My own boys who
are in the sixth grade could not wait to see what my blogs were about. They
offered lots of input on making them more exciting, but I could not figure out
how to incorporate Mine Craft into my blogs. Given time, I am sure I will.
My future
students and their parents can benefit from being exposed to blogging. We can
keep connected and communicate openly. I feel students may find blogging to be
almost therapeutic in a way. They can have an anonymous blog or give their opinion
to the world under their real name. I do not think my students will be limited
with their ability to blog, unless it is a parent that would not allow it.
There are several kinds of internet services available in the area and all the
libraries have internet and computers available to use free of charge during
business hours.
I think a
blogging environment would be a useful tool to spark imaginations and
conversations with a class. If the blog coincided with a particular unit one was
working on, students might like to learn something outside of what the text
offered. A science experiment or upcoming weather event could be part of a blog
to complement a lesson taught. A teacher might be able to use it for extra
credit or to find if there is understanding of what is being taught in the
classroom. I could post frequently asked questions about assignments or
refreshers on how to do a particular math assignment. Students could create
their own blogs on things that are important to them like cheer-leading, chess
club, sports, or band for example. I really feel the possibilities are endless
for blogging.
The
sunrise of each new day brings such wonder and awe. I awoke to a seascape of a
white crystalline substance coating everything in sight. Trees were transformed
into giant cotton candy looking cones. Fences were coated ever so carefully in
this white bliss. Jack Frost had paid a visit and left behind what we call hoar
frost. This is only one of a few frost formations that appear when conditions
are just right.
Figure 1: Hoar frost on trees retrieved from http://nz-landscapes.co.nz/photos/Hoar-Frost-Ophir.jpg
Frost
crystals grow from water vapor in the air, but unlike snow crystals that form high
in the clouds on suspended particles of dust, frost crystals form near the
ground. They grow on window panes, blades of grass, fences, tree branches, or
just about any other solid surface. Fog or saturated air contributes to frost
formation. Frost forms when an outside surface cools past the dew point. The
dew point is the point where the air gets so cold, the water vapor in the
atmosphere turns into liquid. This liquid freezes. If it gets cold enough,
little bits of ice, or frost, form. The ice is arranged in the form of ice
crystals. The warmth of the rising sun ends frost’s stunning displays.
Figure 2: Rime frost retrieved from http://photo.accuweather.com/photogallery/2011/12/500/a103bbe6a.jpg
The hoar frost, also called radiation frost, I saw this
morning is formed from layers of tiny ice crystals and is uniform on everything
it covers. It looks very feathery and it is the same kind of frost that forms
in refrigerators and freezers.
Video 1: Frost formations retrieved from http://youtu.be/IH42lN7y-pI
Ground
frost is the formation of ice on the ground. Grass, concrete, or other road
surfaces get covered in frost because their surfaces have a temperature below
the freezing point of water and they have cooled quicker than the surrounding
air. Ground frost can occur without air frost. Air frost is defined as having
air temperatures below the freezing point of water, but at a height of at least
one meter above ground.
Figure 3: Ground frost retrieved from http://beautyharmonylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/winter-lawn.png
Another kind of frost many of us have seen is window
frost. It forms when a glass window is exposed to cold air outside and moist
air inside. Cold climates with heated homes form this type of frost and it is
much more common on single paned glass. Elaborate patterns of frost grow on the
panes. Scratches, soap residue, or imperfections in the glass change the way
the crystals grow. They can resemble leaves, branches or feathers. Take a closer
look at the design of the next frost formation you notice on your on windows.,
Figure 4: Window frost retrieved from http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/103549/350wm/C0039323-Window_Frost-SPL.jpg
Rime is another type of frost. This frost is wind driven and
is from super cooled water droplets. Rime has the appearance of spikes. There
are frost formations called variously frost flowers, ice flowers, ice ribbons, or
frost swirls. We for will call them frost swirls for ease. The swirls form at
the base of plants from water that seeps from the plant stem. When the water
hits the cold air it freezes. As more water is extruded the swirls are created.
There are some phone apps
available at not cost to install on your own phone if you would like to follow
temperature and humidity; remember from above that frost forms when there is
the right elements of cold temperatures and water vapor in the air. The
following is an experiment we will be completing in class. I have included the instructions
if you would like to share it with your parents or siblings. See you in class.
Figure 5: Frost flower retrieved from http://i2.wp.com/blazepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/47ddca19e4f5eac84263c00a82b6b3d7_650x.jpg?resize=650%2C442
MAKE DEW & FROST
Taken
from http://www.weatherwizkids.com/experiments-frost.htm
MATERIALS:
2 tin cans without a lid (condensed soup cans work
well, but peel the labels off)
rock salt or table salt
crushed ice
PROCESS:
In one tin can put a mixture of
crushed ice about half full and about 4 tablespoons of salt.
Mix it well for about 30 seconds and
then let sit.
In the other can put only crushed
ice and cool tap water. Fill the can about half way full of ice and then put
just enough tap water in the can to cover the ice.
Note the frost forming on the
outside of the can with the ice and salt mixture. Compare this with the liquid
moisture on the outside of the can which contains ice only.
EXPLANATION:
Why does this happen? The salt wants
to absorb water to make a salt solution. To do that, the salt has to melt the
ice into water. The heat required to melt the ice comes from the ice itself. The
strange effect is caused by the chemical reaction between the salt and the ice.
Strange as it seems, melting the ice actually makes the mixture cooler. The
salt water mixture inside the can gets below freezing, so the moisture from the
air that collects on the outside of the can will freeze. This is why frost
forms!
On the other can, dew forms because
the mixture of the melting ice and water is just at freezing and the
temperature outside the can is warmer causing the dew to form.
Search
for these weather apps for your phone if you would like to learn more: Winter
Wakeup, Powder Alert, Road Trip Weather, plus many more.
If you would like to further discuss different frost phenomena or ask questions about frost formations comment below or follow me on twitter at @pwheeler20.
Last week’s temperatures left me shivering. As ate my
breakfast I looked out my window and one of nature’s phenomena stared me
right back in the face. An amazing sun dog appeared with this frigid morning
sunrise. That got me thinking about all the different amazing phenomena the sun
gives viewers like me and you. So here go this week’s sun peculiarities.
Sundogs Photo by Wayne Specht
A sundog is one of the more common anomalies that we often see
that happens when the sun and the atmosphere, or the moisture in it, join
together to give us a spectacular view. Sundogs are patches of light that
appear on each side of the sun. The scientific name for a sundog is parhelion,
which means beside the sun. These patches of light follow the sun like a dog
follows its master; hence the name.
Sundogs from http://i.imgur.com/VAmTWZ8.jpg
Sundogs require several things to make
their appearance. First, the sun must be low on the horizon for the best
viewing. Next, a twenty-two degree distance from the sun is where the sundogs will appear. Hexagonal ice crystals in
high and cold cirrus clouds, or very cold weather, is the next ingredient to
get these guys out in the sky. The ice crystals act as prisms. They sink in the
air and become vertically aligned with the sun, and then the refracted light
becomes the sundogs we see. Folklore states that sundogs are an accurate forecast
for precipitation. No matter what they predict, they are an amazing sight.
Sun Halo from http://d1jqu7g1y74ds1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/20140302155740-4738cdad-580x387.jpg
A similar event to the sundog is
the sun halo. It is, as stated, a halo that surrounds the sun. The halo
surrounds the sun at twenty-two degrees, the same degree as the sundogs. This
ring around the sun is considered to be a fairly rare happening and ice
crystals are the culprits for the halo to appear. People, at times, thought a
sun halo was a signal that the world was coming to an end. It too can be a
predictor of precipitation.
Sun Pillar from http://images.summitpost.org/original/252408.jpg
A photometer, or sun pillar, is a
luminous phenomenon that comes about by the refraction, reflection, diffraction,
or interference of light from the sun. Usually seen at sunrise or sunset, the glittery
and sometimes blinding white pillars extend to about twenty degrees above the
sun and typically end in a point. If a pillar appears high in the sky the
brightness is often subdued. Sun pillars also appear because of the ice crystals
that are present in the air. A sun pillar can be present even when the sun is
below the horizon. These pillars have been confused with UFO’s.
Sun Pillar from http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/254/e/c/ecef1cef57a885778edf49746727bdfc-d3c7ti2.jpg
Some other odd sun occurrences
include the midnight sun phenomenon that happens towards our poles, the two sun
optical illusion, and the well-known solar eclipse. There are many websites
that offer a plethora of information, but beware because many offer bogus
claims. Any way you look at it, each day the sun comes up, sun dogs or not, we
are offered a new day and a new opportunity for learning. As I watch the sun
rise, I will take my eggs the usual way; sunny-side-up.
If you like How Cool Is That?, then join me next time when we visit Jack Frost, or we track down who ever is to blame for my windows being frosted over.
If you would like to further discuss different sun phenomena or debate what is real or not real on the internet about sun oddities comment below or follow me on twitter at @pwheeler20.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it is the aurora borealis or better known as the Northern Lights. These lights are easiest seen in between the degrees of 66 and 69 north. Northern Alaska, Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, and parts of Greenland are the home to this Northern Lights theater. This does not leave the rest of us Southerners out though. Northern Lights have been witnessed as far south as Mexico and when atmospheric conditions are right. The aurora australis or Southern Lights would be the light show for the southern hemisphere.
The Northern Lights are also visible from space. Peak activity is close to the equinox months of September, October, March, and April. Green, yellow, pink, red, and blue are some colors that paint the skies. Some even say it looks as if the sun is rising but in the wrong direction when viewing these spectacular lights. Now for the scientific stuff. The shifting swirl of colors comes about when charged particles from the magnetosphere collide with atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere. Extra energy absorbed is expressed as light. The sun causes hydrogen and helium to fuse, and protons and electrons are shot into space. The solar wind then blows the stream of particles past earth. The earth's magnetism lines draw the particles toward the magnetic north and south poles. The particles collide with the gas atoms when they get to the ionosphere and they emit light.
The type of gas the particles collide with with control the color of light they emit. Emissions from atomic oxygen will have a greenish and dark red glow. Atomic nitrogen results in light blue. Purple comes from molecular nitrogen. When the kp index, a measure of electromagnetic activity in the atmosphere, is a reading of two or higher, then the Northern Lights might be good for viewing. Many times when the Northern Lights are viewable in far southern locations, news stations will give a heads up to viewers who wish to witness these lights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdosKWW2YZ0
As beautiful and mysterious as the lights are as they dance in the sky, past generations have feared them. They were often seen as a symbol of impending doom and were wrapped in superstition. They are entwined in folklore and myths. The Inuit people who live in the northern latitudes claim the lights are past ancestors. Other myths they have is the aurora borealis is the story teller of the past and it will tell of what the future holds. No matter what all the scientific or folklore has to say about the northern lights, this fact remains; They are a breathtaking event put on by nature. The popping and cracking noises they sometimes emit and the whirl of lights cast against the heavens above can pale many man made events. So the next time the lights are going to be on the marquee in your area, don't miss this show, even if it means staying up way past your bedtime.
References
Aurora Borealis. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2015 from http://aurora-borealis.us/
Wong, H. (2013). Best places to see the Northern Lights. Retrieved January 24, 2015 from http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/20/travel/best-northern-lights/index.html
